Reports: Harsha Bhogle could be back for the 10th edition of the IPL

Bhogle was not in the commentary box during last year's IPL.

Bhogle was last part of the commentary box for the World T20 last year

What’s the story?

If a report in the Bangalore Mirror is to be believed, then Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle could be in line for a comeback as a studio analyst for the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League, starting from the 5th of April.

The 55-year-old, who has not been part of the box since last year’s World T20 that was held in India, could get the role for a couple of reasons:

1.The office bearers, who were at the helm when Bhogle was removed from the panel, no longer have any control over the decision making that runs within the board. That is now restricted to the CoA, headed by Vinod Rai.

2.The host broadcasters for the League could be in shortage of panellists for their pre and post shows with the likes of Waqar Younis, Rameez Raza and other former Pakistani players not likely to feature because of the uneasy relationship between India and Pakistan.

In case you didn’t know...

After featuring in the commentary box for eight straight seasons from 2009 to 2015, Bhogle did not feature for the first time last year while several of his other colleagues found themselves analysing the game from the box.

He used his Twitter handle to convey the news of not being part of the box, adding that he did not the exact reason for his expulsion and he had a roster as well.

Would have been nice to be part of @IPL again. Was in fact looking forward to it. Favourite tournament. Hope #IPL9 is a blockbuster.

The broadcaster for the League- Sony- have not yet commented anything, confirming Bhogle’s participation in their pre and post-game shows. But Mirror has learnt that talks between the two have been on for quite some time and a final decision on his appointment is only a formality and not a question of hard negotiations.

With just over 20 days to got for the start of the IPL, it will be interesting to see how things proceed from here on in. Obviously, it would delight the fans if Bhogle does come on board for the 10th season of the League and if that does come true, then it would be a treat to hear the voice that has become so popular over the years, once again.

Author’s take

From a fan’s perspective, the news of Bhogle possibly returning is music to the ears. The man has found a huge fan base of his own in the past decade and more and each time one sees a game on television, he is someone who often comes to mind first as far as commentary is concerned.